Brood inspection

It has been just over a week since I last inspected the colony. A swarm was spotted recently close by so I wanted to check it was not me that had lost half my colony.

It was a nice and warm day and with light winds only. Ideal for opening up the hive. If it is too cold and you open the hive the bees won’t thank you for it. Armed with my smoker and kitted out I opened the hive up, removed the top super and inspected the brood box. This is where the queen lives and lays her eggs tended by the majority of the colony. The photo below shows the bees on the honeycomb. The white stuff above the bees is the fluffy wax caps that seal the honey in for future use. In the other comb there is honey that has not been sealed yet. All is well so far.

The photo above shows a very busy frame. You can just see some bright orange bits in the honeycomb to the right of the frame. That is pollen that has been collected and deposited by the bees. That is food for the growing family. The inspection showed what I hope is a healthy colony and I will leave it another week before I look again. I could not find the queen or see any eggs in the comb which is a little worrying but I will check for eggs next time. I dont want to disturb the colony for too long.